How directly and broadly you think ordinary people should control political decisions, versus rule by a concentrated elite.
What the two poles mean
Democracy
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward democracy. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Autocracy
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward autocracy. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
A score toward autocracy does not make you a "dictator lover". It measures how much you trust ordinary voters versus experts and leaders on complex decisions — a genuine debate about how decisions should be made, not a personality test.
Every democratic country relies on unelected experts for most of its decisions: judges, central bankers, regulators, scientists. The democracy axis asks where you want that line drawn. People who score toward autocracy usually worry that complex policy is distorted by populism and short-term pressure; people who score toward democracy worry that leaving decisions to elites undermines accountability.
It is also worth noting that nearly everyone supports democracy in some form. The axis is about degree and mechanism — referendums, term limits, judicial review, expert panels — rather than about abandoning popular sovereignty altogether.
How it relates to the other axes
Democracy often trades off against authority: those who value strong leadership tend to prefer less direct popular control.
Where you stand
Find out where you stand on this axis — and the other 15 — by taking the 16 Values Test. It is free, anonymous and takes about five minutes.